Cannonball
by alwaysbringback-up
Summary: It's not hard to fall, when you float like a cannonball.


**_A/N: What is this, you ask? Good question. Because I have absolutely no idea what this is. I guess that you'll just have to read it, if you're brave enough. I can tell you that it will be a short three to five chapter story. To be honest, the only reason I wrote this, was because the stupid idea just wouldn't get out of my head. And as I've discovered many a time before, it won't leave me alone until I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, in this case). I just hope that it's not utter and complete crap. You'll have to let me know what you think!_**

**_So...here we go!_**

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><p><em>Stones taught me to fly<em>_  
><em>_Love ‒ it taught me to lie__  
><em>_Life ‒ it taught me to die__  
><em>_So it's not hard to fall__  
><em>_When you float like a cannonball_

Jane felt like she was flying. For the smallest fraction of a second she could feel the air part before her. It gusted, against her sides, her face, neck, and arms. Her shirt whipped and billowed in the air behind her, swirling upwards, as gravity tightened its hold on her once more. Every muscle in Jane's and arm's tightened as the metal of the fire escape flew towards her with alarming speed. With a grunt Jane's body connected, rattling its very infrastructure. The muscles in Jane's hands latched onto the metal railing. The jarring motion caused a surge of pain to make its way through her body. But Jane refused to let it faze her. She was determined not to let it slow her down. With a spurt of air through her lips, Jane flexed and counteracted the force, launching herself up and over the railing, before she continued sprinting up the fire escape.

Her murder suspect was already launching himself onto the roof.

Jane lifted her knees; higher and rushed up the fire escape, following on his heels. Behind her, Jane faintly heard Frankie attempt what she'd just done. She heard some curses escape his lips as he experienced the same jarring twinge of pain that she'd experienced just a moment ago.

Jane chased after the suspect, refusing to let him get away. She vaulted over ductwork and pipes littering the rooftop, only some of it serving a distant purpose. She was breathing hard now. The man she was chasing was starting to panic. He glanced behind him, once, twice, three times. He'd realized by now that she was gaining on him.

Jane groaned as he ducked around the side of a rooftop access point. Cautiously Jane followed, preparing herself for any sort of sudden assault he might launch given his current advantage of surprise. But she was surprised when she rounded the corner to find him sprinting towards a building to their left. He was backtracking, weaving aimlessly from building to building. Jane felt a spike of pride at the notion that he was starting to panic. But just as soon as she felt that elation, it was quickly spirited away, replaced by frustration. He was still running.

Jane watched breathlessly as he kicked himself off the edge of the building, reflexively wind milling his arms as he flung himself across a narrow alleyway. Jane's jaw fell open slightly as she watched him land. His knees absorbed most of the impact, but not all, as he slammed into rooftop of the adjacent building nearly a floor beneath them. In a last ditch effort, Jane saw him roll to the side. He staggered, as he tried to keep running, and tripped before getting his feet under him once more and taking off.

In a split second decision, Jane made to follow him, sprinting for the edge. She figured that if he could do it, then so could she. But as she grew nearer to the edge, her perception of the true distance between the buildings shifted, and it became apparent that it was a lot farther than she thought it was just a moment ago. She wouldn't have even thought it humanly possible, had she not just seen her murder suspect execute the landing only moments ago.

Holy shit. She was starting to think that her murder suspect was an acrobat during another lifetime.

Jane felt her field of vision lurch before her as she glanced over the edge. She was suddenly acutely aware that she was up on the fifth floor, and she hesitated, letting out a curse.

This was madness. It was madness, and she was going to attempt it anyways.

Maura was going to kill her.

The suspect looked back at her from across the gap, just watching her. She wasn't sure it if was a figment of her imagination, but he seemed to be taunting her.

_God help me_. Jane thought.

Jane backpedaled, giving herself some room to move. If she was even going to attempt what she was contemplating, then she was going to need a lot of momentum, which involved a fair amount of distance and speed. Jane took deep calming breaths, trying to slow her frantic heartbeat.

It was now or never.

Jane could hear loose gravel crunch under her boots as she took off at a breakneck speed. She dug the balls of her feet into the gravel and pushed off with her knees and ankles. She took long strides, her arms pumping as she put on a burst of speed.

"Janie, what are you doing?1" Frankie shouted after her as appeared a ways behind her. He'd made it just in time to see the show. Either he was about to watch her succeed in completing one hell of a feat, or he was about to watch her break her neck. "Are you crazy?! You'll never make it!"

"Watch me!" Jane shouted as she launched herself off the edge of the building.

Jane gasped as she experienced weightlessness once more, before also experiencing that inevitable lurch as you recognized that you were actually falling. Jane felt sheer terror for a fraction of a heartbeat before her body started reacting the only way she knew how.

All she could think of when she was flailing was some very drawn out version of any number of curse words that may come to mind right now.

Jane was really amazed by how many dumb things she'd had to do in her line of work. She considered herself fearless, but moments like this just served to remind her of just how many ways something like this could go wrong.

All breath, was forced from Jane's lungs as she hit. Her legs caved under the force, and her body slammed into the surface of the rooftop. She rolled, scuffing her arms and legs in the process. Needless to say, her attempt was less graceful than her predecessor. Jane groaned, as she checked herself over for injuries.

She heard him bark out a laugh. "I thought there was no way in hell you'd attempt something as stupid as what you just attempted."

"Well," Jane rasped in her signature gravelly voice. "I guess you were wrong then, weren't you?"

"You're crazy, you know that?"

Jane groaned, slowly getting to her knees. She was still reeling from the impact of hitting the rooftop. "You might as well give up now," Jane said with a gasp, as she raked in air that had been so unceremoniously taken from her as she hit. "Because now you know how crazy I am, and you know that I don't give up." Jane said through gritted teeth. "And if you pay any attention to the news you'll also know that I always get my man."

"Except that I'm not your man," he argued. "I didn't kill her."

"Okay," Jane replied. "See…that's not how this works, Ethan. I don't just get to take somebody's word for it. I go where the evidence takes me."

"And if the evidence is wrong?"

Jane opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated. Maura's incarceration and set up were never far from Jane's mind. Part of her really wanted to believe what he was saying.

"Then tell me how it's wrong, and I'll try and find another answer. One that fits," Jane answered honestly. "You want justice for Sarah, don't you?"

"Of course I do. But...I…I can't," he sighed. "I can't tell you how it's wrong, because…I don't know, okay? It just is."

"Ethan, please," Jane said as she lifted her hands up. She could see he was getting ready to bolt again.

"I…I'm sorry." Jane cursed as he took off again.

Jane staggered to her feet, still very much feeling that last impact. She chased off after him. Frankie was still shouting after her from the next building over.

Jane refused to give up now. Not after the shit she'd just put herself through.

She chased him across several more rooftops, and up another story. She was so close to him she thought she might be able to try for a take down, but they were getting rather close to the edge. Finally, she went for it. Any longer, and she would lose her chance.

Jane went for the tackle, leaping forwards. She hit Ethan hard from behind. Jane realized her error a split second too late, as they both went over the edge, somersaulting through the air as they fell fifteen feet. She'd miscalculated. She'd waited too long, her momentum had been too great. And now they were falling. They grappled, but then separated in the open air. They'd simply been thrown in different directions. And though the forces acting on them were the same, it had different results. Jane felt the wind knocked out of her again, as she slammed into a rooftop two stories below and rolled over the smooth surface. At some point during the fall, Jane had squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to see the ground coming up at her.

"Ugh, god," Jane groaned as pain spiked around her ribcage. She didn't even dare move for fear that the pain would worsen and become overwhelming.

"Detective!" Ethan's voice was frantic, concerned, as he spoke from somewhere off to her right. "Detective Rizzoli!" Ethan let out a groan. She heard him start to move, slowly at first. He was hurt.

She was laying on something cool. She felt its coolness against her cheek and hands. Jane's eyes flickered open and she shifted. Jane pushed herself up slightly, instantly regretting the motion. She looked down at the surface beneath her hands, and saw the sky reflected back at her from below. She was so distracted by the sight, that she remained oblivious to the danger of her current situation. Then she was jolted back to the present as she was assaulted by a new sensation. She heard a faint cracking. And as she saw the glass underneath her hands erupt with small spider cracks she realized she hadn't escaped peril. Not even close.

Ethan began to panic as he realized this too.

"Wait!" Ethan shouted from somewhere to her side, "Don't move! Don't even breathe. The glass is breaking!"

Jane held her breath. She could hear the glass cracking under her body's weight. There was just no way that it could hold her.

"Try and grab my hand!" Jane felt frozen, paralyzed with fear. It was one thing to leap from one building to another without looking down, but entirely another when you were staring at it.

How far up was she? Three stories? Four?

Jane tried to spread out her arms and legs. She tried to spread her weight over as much of a large surface area as she possibly could in hopes that the glass would be able to support her.

But as the glass shattered into hundreds of jagged shards, she realized it was pointless. Jane lunged for the edge of the pane, and for Ethan's outstretched hand, but couldn't quite reach it. Before she knew it, she was falling. Time seemed to stretch out before her, an infinite expanse that seemed unfathomable in its magnitude. As fear finally got the better of her, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed she wouldn't have time to experience the pain of the impact, before it killed her. Because one thing was clear, she probably wasn't getting out of this alive.

**-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I**

Maura could hear dulcet tones of soft conversation, the clatter of silverware, and the chinking of glasses as she peered disinterestedly at her menu. She faintly heard Jack clear his throat, and glanced up at him over the top of her menu.

"So," he spoke as he gave her one of his most disarming smiles. "What are you planning on getting?"

"Oh…I…uh," Maura cleared her throat, set down her menu and took a sip of her wine. "I'm not really sure."

"Oh," he sounded surprised. "When you recommended this place to me so passionately, I just assumed that you must have a favorite on the menu."

"Oh," Maura replied rather awkwardly, "Well, they change their menu quite frequently, so I can't recommend anything to you, specifically. But what I can say is that I'm sure that anything you decide upon will be exquisite."

Jack chuckled softly. "I…I have no doubt. You have good taste." Maura sighed, glancing down at her phone. She pulled it out of her lap, and set it down on the table next to her silverware. "I… Forgive me if I'm putting myself in the middle of something that I shouldn't be, but…is everything okay? You've hardly said anything to me all evening. And, well, even when you have, you've seemed distracted."

"I…" Maura took a deep calming breath and glanced at the phone again. "I'm just elsewhere in mind, I guess."

"I can tell," Jack replied. "Look, if you want to reschedule or something, I'd understand."

"No," Maura shook her head. "I don't want that… I've already had to reschedule on you twice this week, and it shouldn't always be you that is making the concessions in this relationship."

"Maura," Jack said softly, meeting and holding her gaze. "It's okay. You know I don't mind it. I understand that you've been busy. And if you just don't feel like it tonight, then I don't want you to have to suffer through it."

"It's just that I can't think about anything else," Maura admitted. Jack remained silent, hoping that Maura would elaborate on this statement somewhat, since he had no idea just what it was she was alluding to. "It's Jane," Maura said quietly, in almost a whisper. "Ever since she…since she lost the baby," Maura trailed off, feeling her eyes burn and her throat close up at the notion. "She's been taking chances that she shouldn't be. She's been reckless. Careless. Even more than usual. Part of me thinks she's acting this way because she can't face what has been lost, but it could get her killed."

"Maybe the reason she's been acting that way is that she feels like she doesn't have anything else to lose," Jack said helpfully. "Or maybe she's acting in such a way, because she can't deal with the guilt she feels over losing the baby. Maybe she feels like she should be punished."

"But she's taking it to the extreme!" Maura said angrily. "Jane's life is worth more than anything else. To me, and to her family, the cost is already too great. How can she do these things, when she'd be leaving us behind if something…something happens to her?!"

"People don't always see things the way that they should when they're hurting, Maura," Jack replied. "I'm sure it's not anything against you."

"But it feels like it is!" Maura found herself replying passionately. "It hurts me. It hurts me more than it should. I…I'm hurting too. I lost something that day too! And maybe if she'd just talk about it, she'd know that!"

"Then tell her," Jack replied softly. "You need to tell her that, okay? One thing I've learned? It's that no matter how obvious you think something is…you need to tell them about it. Because, despite what we'd like to think, we are just not mind readers. You might think you know what is going on in her head, but you might be completely off base. There's just no way for her to know how you feel, unless you talk about it. And more likely than not, it's worth saying." Maura opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal, but was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

Maura's eyes darted to the display and the name on its face. It was Korsak.

Maura stared at the display.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Jack asked softly.

"I…I don't know if I can," Maura confessed.

"And why not?"

"I expected to hear from Jane hours ago," Maura whispered softly over the buzzing of her cell phone. "They were going to pick up their murder suspect. And when I didn't hear from her, I just assumed that she had forgotten to call, but now her partner's calling, and I… I don't know how to explain it, but I've just got this really bad feeling, especially given what has happened these last few weeks."

"You have to get it, Maura," Jack said with a comforting squeeze of her hand. "I'm right here if you need me." Maura nodded.

With trembling fingers, Maura reached out for the phone, and plucked it off the table. She hit the accept button with her thumb and lifted it to her ear.

"This is Maura Isles," Maura said in as even a tone as she could manage.

"Maura, it's Vince," he sounded extremely tired, "I…I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something…"

"You're not," Maura replied. "I was expecting to hear from Jane. What is it?"

"I…I'm sorry, Maura, but the reason I'm calling _is_ Jane," he replied in a gruff voice. "She fell almost four stories. I…I don't…. I'm not sure she's gonna make it." Maura reflexively shut her eyes, her breath hitching in her throat. She suddenly couldn't breathe.. She vaguely felt Jack reach out for her shoulder.

"Where is she?" Maura whispered.

"Mass General," Korsak replied.

"I'm on my way," Maura said as calmly as she could muster. Still, tremors shook her body, and seized her voice, betraying her fear and the sheer intensity of the emotions she was feeling.

"Maura," Korsak said urgently, "I don't usually say this but…hurry!" Maura hung up before a sob forced its way past her throat.

"Maur?"

"Don't!" Maura snapped. "Don't call me that!" Jack lifted his hands up in a defensive position.

"Easy," Jack said softly.

"I…I'm sorry," Maura choked out. "It's just that…that's what Jane calls me. And to be honest, it…it used to drive me crazy. What good is a nickname if you only omit a single letter? But…it's grown on me. I love it, because it's Jane."

"Maura," Jack said after a moment. "We should get going."

"We?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I'll take you."

"No," Maura shook her head.

"What?" he asked, a little shocked by her refusal.

"I need to be alone," Maura said honestly.

"No," he argued. "What you _need_ is to _not_ be alone."

"Don't tell me what I need!" Maura snapped. "My friend is dying." Maura stood up. "And if you can't understand why I don't want your company right now, then you're not the kind of man I thought you were."

"Maura, please," Jack sighed, dejectedly.

"I'll let you know as so as I know something," Maura said calmly. With that, she left Jack sitting there, wondering why Maura, who was usually so agreeable, was suddenly brazen and beyond irritable. He suddenly had a thought that he wasn't sure he liked. Maura was far more emotionally invested in Jane than a "friend," should be. He'd seen it in the way Maura talked about Jane earlier, and he sensed it now.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Like it, love it, hate it? You might think Jane's and Maura's behavior strange, but for some reason this is the way I see things happening. Please review and let me know if you think this should be continued! I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have!**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**For those reading my other stories, I'm working on updates and hope they will be up soon! :)**_


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